AFSCME Council 5 Membership Convention

Every year, delegates and alternates from most AFSCME Council 5 locals and retiree chapter guests throughout the state participate in a few days of networking, resolutions debate, skills learning, and other activities to build our union. Through open discussion of the issues that matter to all workers in our union family and all working families, delegates set our union’s priorities for the future, hear updates from our Council leaders, hear the stories of fellow union members across our Council, and renew our shared commitments and strategize to make us stronger.

When in session, the AFSCME Council 5 Convention is the largest governing body of our union.

Convention Workshops

1. MSRS/PERA – Retirement prep for those retiring within 12 months.
2. Coalition Building for Public Investments – Explore the fight for public funding with We Make Minnesota. Presenter: Eric Harris Bernstein.
3. Legislative Overview – Legislative process basics and recent state/federal legislation affecting our work.
4. Successful Meetings – Run efficient meetings, including hybrid (virtual + in-person) formats.
5. Grievance Processing & Handling/Arbitration – Writing strong grievances, building arbitration cases, and forming review committees.
6. Building an Internal Organizing Campaign – Create a Member Action Team and grow a stronger local.
7. Digital Tools for Locals – Email/text outreach, action-planning tools, and websites to connect with members.
8. Council 5 History & Minnesota Movements – Celebrating 22 years of Council 5 and the roots of Minnesota's labor movement.
9. Solving Workplace Issues Through Worker Power – Mobilize members and build power to solve workplace problems.
10. Identifying and Recruiting Workplace Leaders(local leaders only) – Spot and develop organic leaders in the workplace.